Individuals have long needed to lock up personal belongings and property including houses, storage units, bikes, lockers, and cars. Companies likewise share a similar interest in securing their premises and property. Carrying a key can be cumbersome, while passwords and passcodes tend to become less secure over time. Passcode locks often come with the ability to manually set a passcode, and to manually change the passcode at will. Users nevertheless rarely change a passcode after the first day of owning the lock, leading to potential security breaches.
One example of locked items where security is paramount is the real estate industry. Strangers are invited to see a home, usually in the company of a realtor but absent the property's owner. Typically, when a realtor shows a house, he/she accesses a lock box to retrieve the keys to the house. Realtors may carry a device that opens the lock box. Alternatively, they may receive a passcode or lock passcode in advance. However, unintended parties may thus gain entry by gaining control of a still-functioning device or passcode.
Continuing the above real estate industry example, locks on for-sale houses are often battery operated. Power consumption becomes problematic when the locks exhaust batteries at a high rate. Potential buyers are restricted from entering a house with a dead battery until the battery is replaced. Additionally, the real estate company maintaining the lock then has the additional maintenance tasks of checking battery levels and replacing batteries.
Furthermore, communication with such locks is problematic. An internet connection or cellular connection may be used to communicate with the lock, however these services consume power. Additionally, these services typically come with a subscription fee. Sellers would prefer not to pay a subscription fee at a vacant house solely for the benefit of a lock.